Review! Please!
Disclaimer: Same old, same old. We don't own anything having to do with FFIX. Our characters are our own.
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Chapter Five
Kuja awoke, his head pounding. Placing a hand on his forehead, he groaned and tried to prop himself up on his elbows. Succeeding, he glanced around him.
"Kuja?"
Gazing quickly around, Kuja realized that it was Sephira. Her voice was unmistakable. And it seemed to be coming from in front of him.
Struggling to his feet, Kuja leaned on a wall for support for a moment, regaining his breath; whatever the seraph had done to him, it had drained his energy by a fair amount. Starting off, he ran as fast as he could in his current state, hoping to find Sephira before she ran into the winged youth.
As he ran, he noted the few side hallways that she could have taken. He decided to skip them and just keep going down the main hall he was in.
He pursued his thoughts as he kept going, focusing on the black- haired youth. Who had he been? Why had he been there? And why did he have wings?
All these questions plagued Kuja, to a point where it angered him. He had always known everything he believed there was to know. If he didn't know exactly what it was, he could make an educated guess. But these topics... They completely eluded him, and this bothered Kuja. Everything had an answer, yet he could not find this one.
Kuja pondered these things as he raced down the hallways, almost absent-mindedly. He didn't see exactly where he was going and he eventually ran into something, or someone.
Glancing at the being he had collided with, he gasped in surprise when he realized that it was the winged young man. Backing away as the seraph turned around, he cringed when he saw that the magenta eyes were narrowed dangerously.
"I thought I had rendered you unconscious," he stated in a light, low, wispy voice. His expression changed to that of amusement and he clapped his hands together childishly and smiled innocently, the movement causing his wings to rustle behind him. "Oh, this place is so much fun!" he remarked happily.
Kuja arched a delicate eyebrow, slightly confused. This winged youth had seemed dangerous, but now he wasn't so sure. Kuja decided to furthur this line of discussion.
"I do not find why this place is so amusing," he remarked, almost casually. "What may I ask are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" the seraph asked, his voice slightly dangerous. Kuja winced; this person obviously went from one emotion to another in the blink of an eye.
"I—I do not know. That is why I ask," Kuja replied, stammering a little.
"Then you do not need to know," the seraph answered.
"Could I at least know your name?"
The black-haired youth laughed, a light, joyous sound like bells, and he shrugged dramatically.
"I do not know why you need to know!" he remarked innocently. "For you shall not live long enough to require such information."
Kuja took a step back, a bewildered, frightened expression on his face. This winged youth said all this like it were a game. Killing Kuja, simply a game. It was murder. Kuja blinked and licked dry lips.
"Please, tell me your name," he begged, though he didn't know why.
"I shall. But you will not need it where you are going." The youth bowed, glancing up from underneath his black hair at Kuja, fixing his magenta eyes on the pale, silver-haired Genome. "I am Angel. Angel-Black."
"Angel..." Kuja repeated. He cried out in terror as Angel suddenly lunged forward, drawing a blade at his side in a swift, fluid motion as he dashed towards Kuja. Stopping the blade's descent inches from Kuja's face, Angel stared into Kuja's eyes and smiled menacingly.
"It was a pleasure."
In the instant Angel-Black had stopped to make that remark, Kuja had formed a small orb of energy in his left hand. Before Angel could furthur his attack, Kuja whipped his hand forward, releasing the energy at Angel, who was hurled backwards with a cry. Landing on the ground and rolling over with a clatter as his blade hit the floor, Angel snarled and dragged himself up, using the wall, until he was on one knee.
"How dare you?" he hissed from between clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Kuja's hands shook with fright and he backed away. Anyone should have been rendered unconscious by that attack. But Angel was still conscious, and able to get back up.
"How...? How are you...?" Kuja stammered, completely polexed. Angel smiled wickedly.
"How do you think I am able to stand it? It was simple. It was a weak attack. Weak. You are weak, pathetic. That is why." Standing and regaining his proper hold on his blade, Angel dashed at Kuja again, holding the sword out behind him, so it wouldn't hinder his charge. Kuja didn't react quickly enough and the tip of the blade sliced up through his face, right between his eyes. He cried out in agony and threw both his hands to his face, shutting his eyes to keep some of the blood from them. His palms were quickly stained. Shaking, Kuja dashed some of the blood from his vision and opened his eyes, to watch what Angel might do next.
Disgusted, Kuja stared at Angel as the seraph licked the blood from his blade, then sheathed it.
"Blood payment for pain." Angel turned and began to stride away. "My time is wasted on someone so low as you." Placing the back of a hand dramatically on his forehead, he shut his eyes. "I go to find the one, whose voice entralled me so!"
"Sephira?"
"I do not know the name of the angel who belongs in the heavens with I, but her voice is lovely, do you not agree?"
"Sephira is the only female Genome who speaks on this airship."
Angel shrugged a bit, laughing. "Then it must be her. I would have kept my mouth shut, if I were you. Now I know exactly who I am after." Shaking his wings a little, he left Kuja, who leaned against a wall, with one hand still clutching his face.
"Please, I beg of you! Come back!" he cried. "You cannot harm her!" Kuja thrust himself off the wall and staggered off after Angel, prepared to stop him in any way he could.
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"I cannot argue with that," said Sephira shortly. "What were you thinking, getting yourself caught?"
"I guess I wasn't thinking at all…"
"You got that right," said Zidane. Then he turned to Sephira. "After we get him out of here, exactly what will we do?"
She shrugged. "That is a question I cannot answer. Ask your esteemed colleague."
Viteros tried to raise his head a little, and finally they could both see really how haggard he looked. His face and hair were soaked in sweat, and his face pale. His eyes were huge, pain-filled, and his breathing uneven. He gave a game half-smile.
"But…you two did pull through. I knew I could count on you."
Zidane spoke with concern. "Viteros…what now?"
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm not at…full strength right now. And, I'm not as clothed as I'd like to be either. I think I'd stand out."
"That is true," said Sephira. "Maybe…if we can get you to Kuja's room, we can acquire some spare sets of clothing for you."
Viteros grinned and said, "I knew I could count on you. But…how exactly will you get me out of here? An alarm will sound if the cables are cut."
Zidane circled him, taking a look at everything. There it was, his left arm, with all of the writing there as well. He saw now with clarity that nearly half the hand was encased in metal, the entire forearm, and some of the upper arm. There seemed to be some outlets for cables like these to plug in.
"If you just unplug me, it just might work. However, a machine is keeping a watch on my vital signs." Viteros hung his head again. "It can't end this way."
"That's why I brought this," said Zidane, pulling out a small obsidian figure. "It's called a Reverse Doll. You had it in your cargo."
Viteros' face brightened. "Zidane, you're brilliant! A Reverse Doll!"
Sephira looked at the two with some confusion. "Reverse Doll?"
"Yes," said Zidane, "It's an item that, when worn, brings the dead back to life in a perfect copy. If we copy Viteros we can just plug the cables into the copy, and leave it there."
Sephira still looked skeptical. "That is an idea. But, should such a plan work, would we not have two Viteros on our hands? Would they both not be fully aware?"
Zidane looked a little downcast at that. "Yes…but what else can we do?"
"It will work," said Viteros with a grim smile. "Just use the Doll on me and I'll do the rest."
"Are you sure?" asked Zidane.
"Trust me."
"All right…"
Zidane slowly moved the Reverse Doll closer to Viteros until it touched the bare skin of his chest and slowly started to glow. Then suddenly it started to stretch and slowly molded over Viteros' body, enveloping him completely.
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After the stuff went over his eyes Viteros went deep into his mind and found himself in a huge chamber. The walls splintered off into thin spindles of black stone that met in the center, leaving huge spaces between that revealed a blood red, clouded sky above. He had been here often…this was the place of his nightmares.
Viteros walked around a bit until he finally saw it.
A skeleton half-wrapped in flesh, finishing, getting closer. He knew that that thing would, in the end, be Viteros, and then there would indeed be two Viteros alive. But, if he destroyed its mind before it could come fully to life, then he would just have a body that would take his place.
Viteros watched with some frank interest as the body formed. After all, it was not every day one could look at oneself being built.
Finally it was done, and a copy of Viteros stood there, eyes still closed. Viteros approached it slowly, and flicked out his sleeve knife. He was just about to kill it when the eyes flared open. He flew back in shock.
They revealed demonic red eyes, and the long black hair became less shiny, rougher. Terisas stood before him.
The man walked over and picked up Viteros by the collar and lifted the struggling fighter in the air. "Thought you could escape from me, hey, Vit?"
"Urg…what? No…Master Terisas!"
Terisas threw Viteros down to the floor and walked over, with a blade forming incredibly, impossibly, out of the air and collecting in his hand…
Suddenly, Viteros felt a sharp pain in his cheek.
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He jumped up. He was on the floor, grabbing his throbbing cheek in pain. "What!?"
Sephira was shaking her hand. "You went into seizures or something of the like. Then you started talking to yourself."
"Some people talk when they sleep," said Viteros, rubbing his cheek. "Did you slap me?"
Sephira shrugged. But then she got more serious and said, "No, you say talking, simply talking. But I speak of actually talking to yourself like two people having a conversation. 'Thought you could escape, Vit?' 'No…Master Terisas!' like that." Sephira had made her voice a surprisingly good simulacrum of his and Terisas' voice…which only meant Viteros himself had been talking in Terisas' voice.
Viteros seemed to be chilled by the news. "Well then, he's still kind of alive in me. So what?"
Sephira narrowed her eyes and looked at him with anger. "So what? So what!? Do you have any idea of what this madness you speak of could do? Hamper our plans forever? You are a fool, Viteros!"
He grinned with little humor. "I think we've been over that."
Zidane walked over and averted the potential crisis. "Fighting won't help anything! Anyways, down to business, we need to concentrate on what's happening right now for the moment!
"The Reverse Doll worked perfectly. There is a carbon copy of Viteros, at least physically, hooked up right now and sending false readings. Meanwhile, we need to get out of here! It seems that Viteros is now capable of moving again, and…hey, what are you doing?"
Viteros was looking upwards, sighing. When Zidane spoke to him he turned and said, "Oh? What? No, I've already heard this…"
Zidane shook his head and said, "So right now we need to get out and-"
"…Hopefully get back into the airship with my friends, and Kuja too." Finished Viteros. "I really, really should have saved…I so hate hearing conversations twice…"
"You are, singularly, all of the weirdness of everyone I have ever known put together," said Zidane, glaring at him. "Are you done?"
"Are you done?" said Viteros at exactly the same time. "Sigh…"
Sephira walked over and slapped him. "If you could be serious for a moment?"
Viteros shook his head, rubbed his cheek, and muttered something like "I can take a sword to the stomach but not a slap…"
Finally he said, "Let's get going then. And, you two, please tell me if you see a moogle."
Zidane peering around a corner said, "Sure thing." Then after a little while he slowly walked around the corner, the two following close behind. Viteros' body seemed oddly relaxed and loose; Zidane knew from fighting experience that this was probably just his way of letting off battle adrenalin. Sephira, while not as loose as her companion, seemed very calm for the situation.
They passed through the prison again and Zidane noticed Odine and Garret's cage was empty. As if to answer his unspoken question Sephira said, "I had set the two free when I passed by."
They could all see that she didn't use a key, in any case…the bars were twisted and melted and there was a faint smell of burning in the air.
Suddenly, a patrol came by. A group of soldiers wielding swords and guns, they shouted, "Halt!" and ran towards them.
Viteros grinned and cricked his neck. "A nice stretching and warm up…"
Sephira smacked him in the back of the head. "Are you insane?"
"Probably," he responded. "But I'll die happy. Come on!" He extended his left hand towards the oncoming soldiers; there were quick bangs and flashes of light and a few fell.
Zidane looked at Sephira and said, "We don't have time for this! Vit's attracting way too much attention…"
"I concur," said Sephira, looking with some annoyance at Viteros. "Perhaps the sedative administered to him is having an adverse effect on his brain…we need to get to Kuja's room. I shall fix this dilemma."
Sephira put her hands out in front of her and stared at a spot on the floor. Zidane wondered what was happening…then a few seconds later, smoke exploded from the tiles, obscuring their movements. Acting quickly, they went and grabbed Viteros and ran through the smoke down a hall. After a few turns, they ended up in front of a large metal door.
Viteros ran a hand through his hair and shook his head-it was more like a twitch, though. He looked at the door. "I assume…?"
Sephira nodded. "This…is Kuja's room."
Zidane smiled and opened the door. Glad to get to someone else who was also in the know about this ship, maybe a bit saner that Viteros too…that would be a bonus.
They walked into a smallish, metal-paneled room. It was nearly bare, and so seemed very open despite the real size. There was just a low bed, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a closet. Nothing much, as if the man who lived in this room had no past…
Slightly chilled, Zidane walked in and sat on the chair next to the desk. It was hard and wooden, and had a perfectly straight back. Sitting in it was like torture. He leaned forward.
"Sooo…what now?" he asked.
Viteros walked in, stretching and fell on the bed. He relaxed and smiled until he saw Sephira's look. He looked around and slowly got off the bed, tugging the sheets to smooth out the wrinkles he had made. "Oh, uh…sorry…sorry…"
Looking down at Viteros with some satisfaction, Sephira slowly walked to the bed and sat on it, looking out a window. They heard her mutter quietly to herself, "Kuja…where are you hiding?"
Viteros, leaning against two walls in the corner, said, "I think I…uh…need some clothes…" he gave a pointed look at Sephira.
She looked back and said, "Well, then, go get some!"
He furrowed his brow. "I can't just skip down to the laundry room and just grab an extra set of Genome clothes, can I!?"
"That is why you do not go down there! You shall stay here!"
He gave her a 'what are you, stupid?' look and said, "Well, then…I can't just run around almost naked…so WHAT WILL I WEAR!?"
She gave him back a 'no, but you are a complete idiot,' look and said, "Please use that thick brain of yours, Viteros. And to think until now I thought you were smart."
She stood up and walked over and gave him a light slap, which turned his head in the direction of Kuja's closet.
Viteros held that position for a few minutes until it dawned on him. "Oh, no."
Sephira started pushing him towards the closet. Viteros fought back, kicking and flailing. "NO WAY!"
Sephira kept pushing him, resolutely. "You…have…to…put…those…on! You…cannot…just…walk…around…almost…naked!"
"Even if I put that on, I WILL be almost naked! I'm…not going to…ow!"
Zidane had just smacked him on the back of the head. "You just put those on! We need your disguise!"
Viteros rounded on Zidane, which made Sephira knock him over into the closet. A few clothes flew, the sparse garments that Kuja wore. He stood up and pointed at the clothes like Satan himself had come and made them. "I'm not wearing those!"
Zidane shouted, "But you have to!"
"Why don't you! And…and I'll wear your clothes!"
"What!?" Zidane leapt backwards, holding his shirt. "No! Anyway, my clothes don't fit you!"
Suddenly, Sephira came up behind Viteros and grabbed his neck. Suddenly, he couldn't move his arms or legs.
"Sephira! No! Doooon't!"
After trying to wrestle the chest part over Viteros' head, Sephira finally gave up and put her hands on her hips. "Listen, Viteros, if you are not going to wear these, then fine! Fine!"
Viteros turned around, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Really?"
Then he saw the Dream Powder in Sephira's hand. "Oh, no."
Sephira grinned wickedly. "Oh, yes."
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He had a very strange dream. Viteros dreamed he was walking down a long, twisty tunnel with llama paintings on the walls. As he walked his clothes slowly changed…and changed…until it turned like Kuja's…then he met a giant Kuja, laughing at him…
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He woke up gasping for breath.
Then he saw Sephira sitting, a bit winded, on the table, looking at him with her head cocked to one side with a sadistic smile. And Zidane sat in the chair still, his hand in front of his mouth. Viteros could bet he knew why…
To try to calm his breathing he put his hand on his chest…and drew it away as fast as he could. He looked back up at Sephira, not daring to look down at himself.
Speaking very slowly, Viteros said, "You…did it…didn't you."
Sephira nodded with a grin.
"You…did it…you!"
Sephira clasped her hands together and made a happy face. "But you look so cute!"
Viteros stood up, feeling uncomfortably cold. In fact, he felt out of control everywhere. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
She got off the bed and looked at him like he was a bug. "But of course."
Crossing his arms-in front of his now exposed stomach, not his chest- Viteros tried to say seriously, "All right, then. First hurdle has been leapt. Now what?"
Sephira was serious again. "Now we find Kuja."
Viteros suddenly snapped his fingers like he got an idea. "Hey! I can't wear this! It's because I don't look like Kuja! Garland would recognize me in a second!"
Zidane shook his head. "No such luck for you, Vit."
"Huh?"
Zidane held up a tiny hand mirror he found in the desk. "Take a look. Sephira really knows her magic."
Viteros looked in the mirror and it was a good thing he was standing by the bed, because otherwise it would have shattered when he dropped it. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I look like Kuja!"
"That is correct," said Sephira, "but you do not behave half as dignified as he does."
"Sorry, highness," said Viteros, angry. "Well, it's time to go out and find our prince charming. I want to get back to being myself as soon as I can."
Zidane pointed into the closet. "By the way, Viteros, there was a moogle in there. You might want to 'save' or whatever it is…hey, keep a separate file so you can relive this!"
Viteros walked over to the closet and said, "Overwrite this file. Yes, overwrite it…you stupid animal, I said overwrite! I don't want to remember ANY of this."
"And now shall we move on to more pressing business?" said Sephira, annoyed. "We must get to work and finish the operation."
"And that is…?" asked Zidane.
"Put simply, our immediate objective is to locate Kuja," she replied. "We must find him, as the whole plan hinges upon all of us being present. As I anticipate little trouble from the mindless Genome soldiers, who we must really be careful of is Garland."
"Who's Garland?" asked Zidane.
Viteros answered that one. "Besides Terisas, he's the big boss. El uno. The top enchilada, the big cheese. The supreme-"
"You know," put in Sephira, "it sickens me to see words like that come from Kuja's mouth with Kuja's voice…"
"Can it, Your Worship, I'm going through enough-"
Viteros was cut off, he had gotten slapped again.
"But moving on to more…relevant things," said Sephira, "we need to make sure that if we run into Garland or someone looking for you two that Viteros must act like Kuja!"
"Wait," said Viteros, putting up a hand. "Tell me how, how, how, how…how are we hiding Zidane?"
"Zidane," said Sephira, "will be the distracting force that we require."
"Huh?"
"Garland already is suspicious of Kuja and I, and therefore will find it strange that we walk down the hall with no discernable purpose. Should the need arise, we shall have Zidane make an appearance, and then we shall pursue him."
"Sounds like a bad plan to me," said Viteros. "I don't think ANYBODY would get fooled by such an idiotic idea…"
"First thing we need to do, though," said Sephira, ignoring the comment, "is to have Viteros learn how to act like Kuja, so that no one is ever suspicious. Do you understand?"
"Got it," said Viteros, now lounging on the bed, "Got it completely. Absolutely. Now…so…what do I have to do?"
"First, you need to walk more like him. Move like Kuja. Fluidly, relaxed."
"I'm already relaxed."
"No, you look like you are ready to kill someone."
"I look like Kuja, for the sake of the Devil! How can I relax!?"
Zidane put in quietly, "But you said that you were-"
"AAARGH! I'm going crazy!!!"
Sephira ran over and slapped him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah…thanks, that really was needed…phew."
"So, going back to what is important…you need to walk like Kuja."
Viteros got up and walked across the room. "Like this?"
"Keep the confidence, but…um…"
"What?"
"I am not sure exactly how to say this…ah…sway more."
"SWAY!?"
Sephira was getting angry, now. "JUST DO IT!!"
"Okay, okay!" Viteros walked slowly across the room, trying to be like Kuja. "Like this…hey, stop laughing!"
"I can't help it," said Zidane, who had fallen off the desk but didn't care, "the spell wore off! You look like yourself!"
Viteros uttered a few choice words. Then he said to Sephira, "You can put the spell on again, right?"
"Yes…however…"
Viteros looked upwards and lifted his right hand in quick prayer. Then he looked back down and said, "You're going to ruin my life, aren't you?"
"I believe you will be punished for your earlier reluctance, Viteros. I'll put the spell back on when we leave. Now…walk!"
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A few minutes later the door opened, and, to the casual observer, it would seem that Kuja and Sephira walked out and down the hall, apparently on high alert. Then a little while after that, a little guy in a hood with a tail came out. Despite Viteros' pleas to the contrary, having him and a Kuja or having THREE Kujas on board were not going to work out…especially if they ran into the REAL Kuja…
Disclaimer: Same old, same old. We don't own anything having to do with FFIX. Our characters are our own.
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Chapter Five
Kuja awoke, his head pounding. Placing a hand on his forehead, he groaned and tried to prop himself up on his elbows. Succeeding, he glanced around him.
"Kuja?"
Gazing quickly around, Kuja realized that it was Sephira. Her voice was unmistakable. And it seemed to be coming from in front of him.
Struggling to his feet, Kuja leaned on a wall for support for a moment, regaining his breath; whatever the seraph had done to him, it had drained his energy by a fair amount. Starting off, he ran as fast as he could in his current state, hoping to find Sephira before she ran into the winged youth.
As he ran, he noted the few side hallways that she could have taken. He decided to skip them and just keep going down the main hall he was in.
He pursued his thoughts as he kept going, focusing on the black- haired youth. Who had he been? Why had he been there? And why did he have wings?
All these questions plagued Kuja, to a point where it angered him. He had always known everything he believed there was to know. If he didn't know exactly what it was, he could make an educated guess. But these topics... They completely eluded him, and this bothered Kuja. Everything had an answer, yet he could not find this one.
Kuja pondered these things as he raced down the hallways, almost absent-mindedly. He didn't see exactly where he was going and he eventually ran into something, or someone.
Glancing at the being he had collided with, he gasped in surprise when he realized that it was the winged young man. Backing away as the seraph turned around, he cringed when he saw that the magenta eyes were narrowed dangerously.
"I thought I had rendered you unconscious," he stated in a light, low, wispy voice. His expression changed to that of amusement and he clapped his hands together childishly and smiled innocently, the movement causing his wings to rustle behind him. "Oh, this place is so much fun!" he remarked happily.
Kuja arched a delicate eyebrow, slightly confused. This winged youth had seemed dangerous, but now he wasn't so sure. Kuja decided to furthur this line of discussion.
"I do not find why this place is so amusing," he remarked, almost casually. "What may I ask are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" the seraph asked, his voice slightly dangerous. Kuja winced; this person obviously went from one emotion to another in the blink of an eye.
"I—I do not know. That is why I ask," Kuja replied, stammering a little.
"Then you do not need to know," the seraph answered.
"Could I at least know your name?"
The black-haired youth laughed, a light, joyous sound like bells, and he shrugged dramatically.
"I do not know why you need to know!" he remarked innocently. "For you shall not live long enough to require such information."
Kuja took a step back, a bewildered, frightened expression on his face. This winged youth said all this like it were a game. Killing Kuja, simply a game. It was murder. Kuja blinked and licked dry lips.
"Please, tell me your name," he begged, though he didn't know why.
"I shall. But you will not need it where you are going." The youth bowed, glancing up from underneath his black hair at Kuja, fixing his magenta eyes on the pale, silver-haired Genome. "I am Angel. Angel-Black."
"Angel..." Kuja repeated. He cried out in terror as Angel suddenly lunged forward, drawing a blade at his side in a swift, fluid motion as he dashed towards Kuja. Stopping the blade's descent inches from Kuja's face, Angel stared into Kuja's eyes and smiled menacingly.
"It was a pleasure."
In the instant Angel-Black had stopped to make that remark, Kuja had formed a small orb of energy in his left hand. Before Angel could furthur his attack, Kuja whipped his hand forward, releasing the energy at Angel, who was hurled backwards with a cry. Landing on the ground and rolling over with a clatter as his blade hit the floor, Angel snarled and dragged himself up, using the wall, until he was on one knee.
"How dare you?" he hissed from between clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Kuja's hands shook with fright and he backed away. Anyone should have been rendered unconscious by that attack. But Angel was still conscious, and able to get back up.
"How...? How are you...?" Kuja stammered, completely polexed. Angel smiled wickedly.
"How do you think I am able to stand it? It was simple. It was a weak attack. Weak. You are weak, pathetic. That is why." Standing and regaining his proper hold on his blade, Angel dashed at Kuja again, holding the sword out behind him, so it wouldn't hinder his charge. Kuja didn't react quickly enough and the tip of the blade sliced up through his face, right between his eyes. He cried out in agony and threw both his hands to his face, shutting his eyes to keep some of the blood from them. His palms were quickly stained. Shaking, Kuja dashed some of the blood from his vision and opened his eyes, to watch what Angel might do next.
Disgusted, Kuja stared at Angel as the seraph licked the blood from his blade, then sheathed it.
"Blood payment for pain." Angel turned and began to stride away. "My time is wasted on someone so low as you." Placing the back of a hand dramatically on his forehead, he shut his eyes. "I go to find the one, whose voice entralled me so!"
"Sephira?"
"I do not know the name of the angel who belongs in the heavens with I, but her voice is lovely, do you not agree?"
"Sephira is the only female Genome who speaks on this airship."
Angel shrugged a bit, laughing. "Then it must be her. I would have kept my mouth shut, if I were you. Now I know exactly who I am after." Shaking his wings a little, he left Kuja, who leaned against a wall, with one hand still clutching his face.
"Please, I beg of you! Come back!" he cried. "You cannot harm her!" Kuja thrust himself off the wall and staggered off after Angel, prepared to stop him in any way he could.
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"I cannot argue with that," said Sephira shortly. "What were you thinking, getting yourself caught?"
"I guess I wasn't thinking at all…"
"You got that right," said Zidane. Then he turned to Sephira. "After we get him out of here, exactly what will we do?"
She shrugged. "That is a question I cannot answer. Ask your esteemed colleague."
Viteros tried to raise his head a little, and finally they could both see really how haggard he looked. His face and hair were soaked in sweat, and his face pale. His eyes were huge, pain-filled, and his breathing uneven. He gave a game half-smile.
"But…you two did pull through. I knew I could count on you."
Zidane spoke with concern. "Viteros…what now?"
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm not at…full strength right now. And, I'm not as clothed as I'd like to be either. I think I'd stand out."
"That is true," said Sephira. "Maybe…if we can get you to Kuja's room, we can acquire some spare sets of clothing for you."
Viteros grinned and said, "I knew I could count on you. But…how exactly will you get me out of here? An alarm will sound if the cables are cut."
Zidane circled him, taking a look at everything. There it was, his left arm, with all of the writing there as well. He saw now with clarity that nearly half the hand was encased in metal, the entire forearm, and some of the upper arm. There seemed to be some outlets for cables like these to plug in.
"If you just unplug me, it just might work. However, a machine is keeping a watch on my vital signs." Viteros hung his head again. "It can't end this way."
"That's why I brought this," said Zidane, pulling out a small obsidian figure. "It's called a Reverse Doll. You had it in your cargo."
Viteros' face brightened. "Zidane, you're brilliant! A Reverse Doll!"
Sephira looked at the two with some confusion. "Reverse Doll?"
"Yes," said Zidane, "It's an item that, when worn, brings the dead back to life in a perfect copy. If we copy Viteros we can just plug the cables into the copy, and leave it there."
Sephira still looked skeptical. "That is an idea. But, should such a plan work, would we not have two Viteros on our hands? Would they both not be fully aware?"
Zidane looked a little downcast at that. "Yes…but what else can we do?"
"It will work," said Viteros with a grim smile. "Just use the Doll on me and I'll do the rest."
"Are you sure?" asked Zidane.
"Trust me."
"All right…"
Zidane slowly moved the Reverse Doll closer to Viteros until it touched the bare skin of his chest and slowly started to glow. Then suddenly it started to stretch and slowly molded over Viteros' body, enveloping him completely.
-------------------
After the stuff went over his eyes Viteros went deep into his mind and found himself in a huge chamber. The walls splintered off into thin spindles of black stone that met in the center, leaving huge spaces between that revealed a blood red, clouded sky above. He had been here often…this was the place of his nightmares.
Viteros walked around a bit until he finally saw it.
A skeleton half-wrapped in flesh, finishing, getting closer. He knew that that thing would, in the end, be Viteros, and then there would indeed be two Viteros alive. But, if he destroyed its mind before it could come fully to life, then he would just have a body that would take his place.
Viteros watched with some frank interest as the body formed. After all, it was not every day one could look at oneself being built.
Finally it was done, and a copy of Viteros stood there, eyes still closed. Viteros approached it slowly, and flicked out his sleeve knife. He was just about to kill it when the eyes flared open. He flew back in shock.
They revealed demonic red eyes, and the long black hair became less shiny, rougher. Terisas stood before him.
The man walked over and picked up Viteros by the collar and lifted the struggling fighter in the air. "Thought you could escape from me, hey, Vit?"
"Urg…what? No…Master Terisas!"
Terisas threw Viteros down to the floor and walked over, with a blade forming incredibly, impossibly, out of the air and collecting in his hand…
Suddenly, Viteros felt a sharp pain in his cheek.
----------------
He jumped up. He was on the floor, grabbing his throbbing cheek in pain. "What!?"
Sephira was shaking her hand. "You went into seizures or something of the like. Then you started talking to yourself."
"Some people talk when they sleep," said Viteros, rubbing his cheek. "Did you slap me?"
Sephira shrugged. But then she got more serious and said, "No, you say talking, simply talking. But I speak of actually talking to yourself like two people having a conversation. 'Thought you could escape, Vit?' 'No…Master Terisas!' like that." Sephira had made her voice a surprisingly good simulacrum of his and Terisas' voice…which only meant Viteros himself had been talking in Terisas' voice.
Viteros seemed to be chilled by the news. "Well then, he's still kind of alive in me. So what?"
Sephira narrowed her eyes and looked at him with anger. "So what? So what!? Do you have any idea of what this madness you speak of could do? Hamper our plans forever? You are a fool, Viteros!"
He grinned with little humor. "I think we've been over that."
Zidane walked over and averted the potential crisis. "Fighting won't help anything! Anyways, down to business, we need to concentrate on what's happening right now for the moment!
"The Reverse Doll worked perfectly. There is a carbon copy of Viteros, at least physically, hooked up right now and sending false readings. Meanwhile, we need to get out of here! It seems that Viteros is now capable of moving again, and…hey, what are you doing?"
Viteros was looking upwards, sighing. When Zidane spoke to him he turned and said, "Oh? What? No, I've already heard this…"
Zidane shook his head and said, "So right now we need to get out and-"
"…Hopefully get back into the airship with my friends, and Kuja too." Finished Viteros. "I really, really should have saved…I so hate hearing conversations twice…"
"You are, singularly, all of the weirdness of everyone I have ever known put together," said Zidane, glaring at him. "Are you done?"
"Are you done?" said Viteros at exactly the same time. "Sigh…"
Sephira walked over and slapped him. "If you could be serious for a moment?"
Viteros shook his head, rubbed his cheek, and muttered something like "I can take a sword to the stomach but not a slap…"
Finally he said, "Let's get going then. And, you two, please tell me if you see a moogle."
Zidane peering around a corner said, "Sure thing." Then after a little while he slowly walked around the corner, the two following close behind. Viteros' body seemed oddly relaxed and loose; Zidane knew from fighting experience that this was probably just his way of letting off battle adrenalin. Sephira, while not as loose as her companion, seemed very calm for the situation.
They passed through the prison again and Zidane noticed Odine and Garret's cage was empty. As if to answer his unspoken question Sephira said, "I had set the two free when I passed by."
They could all see that she didn't use a key, in any case…the bars were twisted and melted and there was a faint smell of burning in the air.
Suddenly, a patrol came by. A group of soldiers wielding swords and guns, they shouted, "Halt!" and ran towards them.
Viteros grinned and cricked his neck. "A nice stretching and warm up…"
Sephira smacked him in the back of the head. "Are you insane?"
"Probably," he responded. "But I'll die happy. Come on!" He extended his left hand towards the oncoming soldiers; there were quick bangs and flashes of light and a few fell.
Zidane looked at Sephira and said, "We don't have time for this! Vit's attracting way too much attention…"
"I concur," said Sephira, looking with some annoyance at Viteros. "Perhaps the sedative administered to him is having an adverse effect on his brain…we need to get to Kuja's room. I shall fix this dilemma."
Sephira put her hands out in front of her and stared at a spot on the floor. Zidane wondered what was happening…then a few seconds later, smoke exploded from the tiles, obscuring their movements. Acting quickly, they went and grabbed Viteros and ran through the smoke down a hall. After a few turns, they ended up in front of a large metal door.
Viteros ran a hand through his hair and shook his head-it was more like a twitch, though. He looked at the door. "I assume…?"
Sephira nodded. "This…is Kuja's room."
Zidane smiled and opened the door. Glad to get to someone else who was also in the know about this ship, maybe a bit saner that Viteros too…that would be a bonus.
They walked into a smallish, metal-paneled room. It was nearly bare, and so seemed very open despite the real size. There was just a low bed, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a closet. Nothing much, as if the man who lived in this room had no past…
Slightly chilled, Zidane walked in and sat on the chair next to the desk. It was hard and wooden, and had a perfectly straight back. Sitting in it was like torture. He leaned forward.
"Sooo…what now?" he asked.
Viteros walked in, stretching and fell on the bed. He relaxed and smiled until he saw Sephira's look. He looked around and slowly got off the bed, tugging the sheets to smooth out the wrinkles he had made. "Oh, uh…sorry…sorry…"
Looking down at Viteros with some satisfaction, Sephira slowly walked to the bed and sat on it, looking out a window. They heard her mutter quietly to herself, "Kuja…where are you hiding?"
Viteros, leaning against two walls in the corner, said, "I think I…uh…need some clothes…" he gave a pointed look at Sephira.
She looked back and said, "Well, then, go get some!"
He furrowed his brow. "I can't just skip down to the laundry room and just grab an extra set of Genome clothes, can I!?"
"That is why you do not go down there! You shall stay here!"
He gave her a 'what are you, stupid?' look and said, "Well, then…I can't just run around almost naked…so WHAT WILL I WEAR!?"
She gave him back a 'no, but you are a complete idiot,' look and said, "Please use that thick brain of yours, Viteros. And to think until now I thought you were smart."
She stood up and walked over and gave him a light slap, which turned his head in the direction of Kuja's closet.
Viteros held that position for a few minutes until it dawned on him. "Oh, no."
Sephira started pushing him towards the closet. Viteros fought back, kicking and flailing. "NO WAY!"
Sephira kept pushing him, resolutely. "You…have…to…put…those…on! You…cannot…just…walk…around…almost…naked!"
"Even if I put that on, I WILL be almost naked! I'm…not going to…ow!"
Zidane had just smacked him on the back of the head. "You just put those on! We need your disguise!"
Viteros rounded on Zidane, which made Sephira knock him over into the closet. A few clothes flew, the sparse garments that Kuja wore. He stood up and pointed at the clothes like Satan himself had come and made them. "I'm not wearing those!"
Zidane shouted, "But you have to!"
"Why don't you! And…and I'll wear your clothes!"
"What!?" Zidane leapt backwards, holding his shirt. "No! Anyway, my clothes don't fit you!"
Suddenly, Sephira came up behind Viteros and grabbed his neck. Suddenly, he couldn't move his arms or legs.
"Sephira! No! Doooon't!"
After trying to wrestle the chest part over Viteros' head, Sephira finally gave up and put her hands on her hips. "Listen, Viteros, if you are not going to wear these, then fine! Fine!"
Viteros turned around, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Really?"
Then he saw the Dream Powder in Sephira's hand. "Oh, no."
Sephira grinned wickedly. "Oh, yes."
----------------
He had a very strange dream. Viteros dreamed he was walking down a long, twisty tunnel with llama paintings on the walls. As he walked his clothes slowly changed…and changed…until it turned like Kuja's…then he met a giant Kuja, laughing at him…
----------------
He woke up gasping for breath.
Then he saw Sephira sitting, a bit winded, on the table, looking at him with her head cocked to one side with a sadistic smile. And Zidane sat in the chair still, his hand in front of his mouth. Viteros could bet he knew why…
To try to calm his breathing he put his hand on his chest…and drew it away as fast as he could. He looked back up at Sephira, not daring to look down at himself.
Speaking very slowly, Viteros said, "You…did it…didn't you."
Sephira nodded with a grin.
"You…did it…you!"
Sephira clasped her hands together and made a happy face. "But you look so cute!"
Viteros stood up, feeling uncomfortably cold. In fact, he felt out of control everywhere. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
She got off the bed and looked at him like he was a bug. "But of course."
Crossing his arms-in front of his now exposed stomach, not his chest- Viteros tried to say seriously, "All right, then. First hurdle has been leapt. Now what?"
Sephira was serious again. "Now we find Kuja."
Viteros suddenly snapped his fingers like he got an idea. "Hey! I can't wear this! It's because I don't look like Kuja! Garland would recognize me in a second!"
Zidane shook his head. "No such luck for you, Vit."
"Huh?"
Zidane held up a tiny hand mirror he found in the desk. "Take a look. Sephira really knows her magic."
Viteros looked in the mirror and it was a good thing he was standing by the bed, because otherwise it would have shattered when he dropped it. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I look like Kuja!"
"That is correct," said Sephira, "but you do not behave half as dignified as he does."
"Sorry, highness," said Viteros, angry. "Well, it's time to go out and find our prince charming. I want to get back to being myself as soon as I can."
Zidane pointed into the closet. "By the way, Viteros, there was a moogle in there. You might want to 'save' or whatever it is…hey, keep a separate file so you can relive this!"
Viteros walked over to the closet and said, "Overwrite this file. Yes, overwrite it…you stupid animal, I said overwrite! I don't want to remember ANY of this."
"And now shall we move on to more pressing business?" said Sephira, annoyed. "We must get to work and finish the operation."
"And that is…?" asked Zidane.
"Put simply, our immediate objective is to locate Kuja," she replied. "We must find him, as the whole plan hinges upon all of us being present. As I anticipate little trouble from the mindless Genome soldiers, who we must really be careful of is Garland."
"Who's Garland?" asked Zidane.
Viteros answered that one. "Besides Terisas, he's the big boss. El uno. The top enchilada, the big cheese. The supreme-"
"You know," put in Sephira, "it sickens me to see words like that come from Kuja's mouth with Kuja's voice…"
"Can it, Your Worship, I'm going through enough-"
Viteros was cut off, he had gotten slapped again.
"But moving on to more…relevant things," said Sephira, "we need to make sure that if we run into Garland or someone looking for you two that Viteros must act like Kuja!"
"Wait," said Viteros, putting up a hand. "Tell me how, how, how, how…how are we hiding Zidane?"
"Zidane," said Sephira, "will be the distracting force that we require."
"Huh?"
"Garland already is suspicious of Kuja and I, and therefore will find it strange that we walk down the hall with no discernable purpose. Should the need arise, we shall have Zidane make an appearance, and then we shall pursue him."
"Sounds like a bad plan to me," said Viteros. "I don't think ANYBODY would get fooled by such an idiotic idea…"
"First thing we need to do, though," said Sephira, ignoring the comment, "is to have Viteros learn how to act like Kuja, so that no one is ever suspicious. Do you understand?"
"Got it," said Viteros, now lounging on the bed, "Got it completely. Absolutely. Now…so…what do I have to do?"
"First, you need to walk more like him. Move like Kuja. Fluidly, relaxed."
"I'm already relaxed."
"No, you look like you are ready to kill someone."
"I look like Kuja, for the sake of the Devil! How can I relax!?"
Zidane put in quietly, "But you said that you were-"
"AAARGH! I'm going crazy!!!"
Sephira ran over and slapped him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah…thanks, that really was needed…phew."
"So, going back to what is important…you need to walk like Kuja."
Viteros got up and walked across the room. "Like this?"
"Keep the confidence, but…um…"
"What?"
"I am not sure exactly how to say this…ah…sway more."
"SWAY!?"
Sephira was getting angry, now. "JUST DO IT!!"
"Okay, okay!" Viteros walked slowly across the room, trying to be like Kuja. "Like this…hey, stop laughing!"
"I can't help it," said Zidane, who had fallen off the desk but didn't care, "the spell wore off! You look like yourself!"
Viteros uttered a few choice words. Then he said to Sephira, "You can put the spell on again, right?"
"Yes…however…"
Viteros looked upwards and lifted his right hand in quick prayer. Then he looked back down and said, "You're going to ruin my life, aren't you?"
"I believe you will be punished for your earlier reluctance, Viteros. I'll put the spell back on when we leave. Now…walk!"
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A few minutes later the door opened, and, to the casual observer, it would seem that Kuja and Sephira walked out and down the hall, apparently on high alert. Then a little while after that, a little guy in a hood with a tail came out. Despite Viteros' pleas to the contrary, having him and a Kuja or having THREE Kujas on board were not going to work out…especially if they ran into the REAL Kuja…